The Uninsured Rate In Minnesota Has Plunged 40 Percent Under Obamacare

Minnesota has seen its uninsured rate plunge by more than 40%
since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, according to
a new study released this week.

The study, released by researchers at the
University of Minnesota, provided the first look at Obamacare's
effect on a single state's insured rate. It found that
the number of uninsured in Minnesota fell from
445,000 (about 8.2% of the population) to about 264,500 (about
4.9% of the population).

The decrease is similar to the effects in Massachusetts after
similar healthcare reforms were implemented there in 2006. It's a
larger increase than the Congressional Budget Office has projected for the entire United States — a
drop from 54 million under previous law to 42 million under the
Affordable Care Act.

"Our findings on the change in the number of uninsured are
consistent with national reports of early ACA impact, and with
research on the impacts of Massachusetts reforms implemented in
2007 which are quite similar to the access expansion provisions
included in the ACA," the researchers wrote in a summary of their
report.

The authors of the study said their findings were consistent with
a number of national polls and studies showing a drop in the
uninsured rate, including a Gallup survey that showed a drop in
the uninsured rate to 13.4%, the lowest the company has ever
recorded.

Medicaid expansion was the main driver of the plunge in
Minnesota's uninsured rate. Enrollment in Medicaid and
MinnesotaCare, a state healthcare program for the working poor,
was responsible for 20.6% of the growth in coverage, or about
155,000 Minnesotans. Meanwhile, enrollment by individuals in
private plans jumped by 36,000.